


The First Steps Forward

by ellieellieoxenfree



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-08
Updated: 2014-02-08
Packaged: 2018-01-11 15:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1174816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellieellieoxenfree/pseuds/ellieellieoxenfree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The immediate aftermath of winter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Steps Forward

The storm swirls and screams and digs into the marrow of their bones, but Joel knows they need to keep moving. He grips Ellie by the arm, keeping her close as they struggle through the blinding whiteness. Just gotta get out of town, Joel reminds himself. Just get the fuck out of here.

They wouldn't even notice the house if it weren't for the sudden absence of the wind. 'Come on,' Joel shouts to Ellie, the first words he's been able to convey to her since they left town. She nods and burrows closer as they fumble for a door. When they find it, of course, the damn thing sticks, and Joel throws his shoulder against it. His body gives a wild howl of pain, but the door gives way, and they stagger inside. It's a struggle for Joel not to drop to his knees, but he forces himself to stay upright. His own injuries aren't of concern right now.

Ellie pulls away from him. She seems suddenly very tiny and frail -- had that always been the case, Joel wonders, and had he just never noticed -- and the snow hasn't entirely obscured the blood spattering her clothes and face. He reaches out and cradles her cheek. 'Did he hurt you?' he asks.

Her expression is a mixture of fear and shame. She doesn't look up at him. 'He didn't...' The sentence trails off, and she takes a breath and starts again. 'He hit me. And he kicked me. Here.' She spreads her fingers over her abdomen. 'But he didn't...'

Joel remembers the sight of her and what remained of David. The anger threatens to choke him -- at David, at himself, at the world that's forced a fourteen-year-old girl to do this. He should have been there. He should have protected her. 'Ellie,' he says, for want of anything else. He wraps his arms around her, gently, as though he can shield her from the horrors after the fact. 'You're safe now.' 

He doesn't know if that's true. Wanting something doesn't always make it true. But he'll say it anyway, partially to convince Ellie and partially to convince himself.

\--

Ellie sits on the edge of the sink. 'Hold still,' Joel tells her as he soaks a rag in alcohol. 'This is going to sting.'

'I know.' She's twisting her hands in her lap, rubbing at the bloodstains with furious, fitful movements. The skin is raw and broken in spots where she'd gripped the machete too hard. 

Joel tilts her chin up and dabs at the scrapes and cuts. Ellie flinches, but she doesn't make a sound. She's looking at a point beyond Joel's shoulder, her mouth set in a hard line. Only the constant movements of her fingers betray her. 

'We'll have to bandage your hands,' Joel says, and Ellie stills, pressing her hands flat against her thighs. 'Let me help clean you up.'

She doesn't fight as he takes one hand in his, palm upward, but a small hiss escapes her when he presses the rag to the worst of the wounds. 'Almost done,' Joel promises her. He bandages her hands with careful efficiency. They'll scar, he knows.

Ellie stands, hunched and tired as an old woman. She sways on her feet. If she crumples, it will be all at once, like paper under a flame. 'Joel,' she says, almost too quietly to be heard. 

'I'm here,' he says, and he holds her as she shatters.

**Author's Note:**

> For drawsaurus, with love. Thanks for the support and the heartbreak. You are my rock.
> 
> [TLOU fic prompts are always open @ ellieellieoxenfree.tumblr.com]


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